Chapman University Requirements for Admission

Choose Your Test

What are Chapman University's admission requirements? While there are a lot of pieces that go into a college application, you should focus on only a few critical things:

GPA requirements

Testing requirements, including SAT and ACT requirements

Application requirements

In this guide we'll cover what you need to get into Chapman University and build a strong application.

School location: Orange, CA

Admissions Rate: 48%

If you want to get in, the first thing to look at is the acceptance rate. This tells you how competitive the school is and how serious their requirements are.

The acceptance rate at Chapman University is 48%. For every 100 applicants, 48 are admitted.

This means the school is
moderately selective. The school expects you to meet their requirements for GPA and SAT/ACT scores, but they're more flexible than other schools. If you exceed their requirements, you have an excellent chance of getting in. But if you don't, you might be one of the unlucky minority that gets a rejection letter.

Chapman University GPA Requirements

Many schools specify a minimum GPA requirement, but this is often just the bare minimum to submit an application without immediately getting rejected.

The GPA requirement that really matters is the GPA you need for a real chance of getting in. For this, we look at the school's average GPA for its current students.

Average GPA: 3.69

The average GPA at Chapman University is 3.69.

(Most schools use a weighted GPA out of 4.0, though some report an unweighted GPA.

With a GPA of 3.69, Chapman University
requires you to be above average in your high school class. You'll need at least a mix of A's and B's, with more A's than B's. You can compensate for a lower GPA with harder classes, like AP or IB classes. This will show that you're able to handle more difficult academics than the average high school student.

If you're currently a junior or senior, your GPA is hard to change in time for college applications. If your GPA is at or below the school average of 3.69, you'll need a higher SAT or ACT score to compensate. This will help you compete effectively against other applicants who have higher GPAs than you.

SAT and ACT Requirements

Each school has different requirements for standardized testing. Most schools require the SAT or ACT, and many also require SAT subject tests.

You must take either the SAT or ACT to submit an application to Chapman University. More importantly, you need to do well to have a strong application.

Chapman University SAT Requirements

Many schools say they have no SAT score cutoff, but the truth is that there is a hidden SAT requirement. This is based on the school's average score.

Average SAT: 1807 (New: 1290)

The average SAT score composite at Chapman University is a 1807 on the old 2400 SAT scale.

On the new 1600 SAT, this corresponds to an average SAT score of 1290.

Chapman University SAT Score Analysis (New 1600 SAT)

The 25th percentile New SAT score is 1200, and the 75th percentile New SAT score is 1380. In other words, a 1200 on the New SAT places you below average, while a 1380 will move you up to above average.

Here's the breakdown of new SAT scores by section:

Section

Average

25th Percentile

75th Percentile

Math

620

570

670

Reading

32

30

34

Writing

33

31

35

Composite

1290

1200

1380

Chapman University SAT Score Analysis (Old 2400 SAT)

The 25th percentile Old SAT score is 1660, and the 75th percentile SAT score is 1950. In other words, a 1660 on the Old SAT places you below average, while a 1950 puts you well above average.

Here's the breakdown of old SAT scores by section:

Section

Average

25th Percentile

75th Percentile

Math

602

550

650

Reading

595

550

640

Writing

610

560

660

Composite

1807

1660

1950

SAT Score Choice Policy

The Score Choice policy at your school is an important part of your testing strategy.

Chapman University ACT Requirements

Just like for the SAT, Chapman University likely doesn't have a hard ACT cutoff, but if you score too low, your application will get tossed in the trash.

Average ACT: 27

The average ACT score at Chapman University is 27. This score makes Chapman University Moderately Competitive for ACT scores.

The 25th percentile ACT score is 25, and the 75th percentile ACT score is 30.

Even though Chapman University likely says they have no minimum ACT requirement, if you apply with a 25 or below, you'll have a very hard time getting in, unless you have something else very impressive in your application. There are so many applicants scoring 27 and above that a 25 will look academically weak.

ACT Score Sending Policy

If you're taking the ACT as opposed to the SAT, you have a huge advantage in how you send scores, and this dramatically affects your testing strategy.

Here it is: when you send ACT scores to colleges, you have absolute control over which tests you send. You could take 10 tests, and only send your highest one. This is unlike the SAT, where many schools require you to send all your tests ever taken.

This means that you have more chances than you think to improve your ACT score. To try to aim for the school's ACT requirement of 27 and above, you should try to take the ACT as many times as you can. When you have the final score that you're happy with, you can then send only that score to all your schools.

ACT Superscore Policy

By and large, most colleges do not superscore the ACT. (Superscore means that the school takes your best section scores from all the test dates you submit, and then combines them into the best possible composite score). Thus, most schools will just take your highest ACT score from a single sitting.

We weren't able to find the school's exact ACT policy, which most likely means that it does not Superscore. Regardless, you can choose your single best ACT score to send in to Chapman University, so you should prep until you reach our recommended target ACT score of 27.

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SAT/ACT Writing Section Requirements

Both the SAT and ACT have a Writing section that includes an essay.

Chapman University requires you to take the SAT/ACT Writing section. They'll use this as another factor in their admissions consideration.

SAT Subject Test Requirements

Schools vary in their SAT subject test requirements. Typically, selective schools tend to require them, while most schools in the country do not.

Chapman University has indicated that SAT subject tests are recommended. Typically this means that SAT subject tests are not required, but submitting them can showcase particular strengths. For example, if you're applying to an engineering school, submitting science and math SAT subject tests will boost your application.

Final Admissions Verdict

Because this school is moderately selective, strong academic performance will almost guarantee you admission. Scoring a 1950 SAT or a 30 ACT or above will nearly guarantee you admission. Because the school admits 48% of all applicants, being far above average raises the admission rate for you to nearly 100%.

If you can achieve a high SAT/ACT score, the rest of your application essentially doesn't matter. You still need to meet the rest of the application requirements, and your GPA shouldn't be too far off from the school average of 3.69. But you won't need dazzling extracurriculars and breathtaking letters of recommendation to get in. You can get in based on the merits of your score alone.

But if your score is a 1660 SAT or a 25 ACT and below, you have a good chance of being one of the unlucky few to be rejected.

Admissions Calculator

What are your chances of admission at Chapman University?

Chances of admission with these scores:

Here's our custom admissions calculator. Plug in your numbers to see what your chances of getting in are.

Note: This is only an estimate for the average student, based on data collected from thousands of students. Other factors in your application may come into play, such as extracurriculars and recommendation letters.

How would your chances improve with a better score?

Try to take your current SAT score and add 160 points (or take your ACT score and add 4 points) to the calculator above. See how much your chances improve?

There's a lot more to PrepScholar that makes it the best SAT/ACT prep program. Click to learn more about our program, or sign up for our 5-day free trial to check out PrepScholar for yourself:

Application Requirements

Every school requires an application with the bare essentials - high school transcript and GPA, application form, and other core information. Many schools, as explained above, also require SAT and ACT scores, as well as letters of recommendation, application essays, and interviews. We'll cover the exact requirements of Chapman University here.

Admissions Office Information

Other Schools For You

If you're interested in Chapman University, you'll probably be interested in these schools as well. We've divided them into 3 categories depending on how hard they are to get into, relative to Chapman University.

Reach Schools: Harder to Get Into

These schools are more selective and have higher scores than Chapman University. If you improve your SAT score, you'll be competitive for these schools.

Safety Schools: Easier to Get Into

If you're currently competitive for Chapman University, you should have no problem getting into these schools. If Chapman University is currently out of your reach, you might already be competitive for these schools.

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